


i don't want to change you

by likewinning



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Retail, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:30:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8776018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likewinning/pseuds/likewinning
Summary: "I need to talk to you, okay?"





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of old but I just found it so uh, Merry Christmas I guess.

"Dickie," Jason says. It's late, maybe 3AM. Jason's been up half the night, trying to read by the little light from the streets.

When Jason first came to the foster home, he could never sleep. He'd try to go to bed when the rest of the kids did, but by midnight he'd give up, get up and read whatever books he found at the library. Dick would come and find him sometimes, drag him to the kitchen and make him a cup of hot chocolate (Jason cleaning up after him when Dick left cocoa powder all over the place). Sometimes Jason could sleep after that, his head on Dick's shoulder and Dick combing his hands through his hair.

"Dick," Jason says again. He gets on the bed next to Dick, shakes his shoulder.

When Jason finally did start sleeping, he still had nightmares. He'd wake the whole house up screaming and it was always Dick who came to find him, Dick who promised him that no one was going to make him leave. After a while, Jason just started crawling into Dick's bed after everyone else went to sleep, and for the most part the nightmares stopped.

But then -

"Jay?" Dick asks. He rolls over and blinks up at Jason. Dick's always making them late for school; he hits snooze on his alarm until it shuts itself off, and he takes so much time fussing with his hair that Jason usually has to drag him out the door by the arm. "'s not time yet, is it? It's still dark."

"No," Jason says. He lets go of Dick's shoulder, scoots back a little. "It's late."

"Oh," Dick says. "You okay? Did you have a nightmare? I -"

"No, Dickie, not -" Jason clears his throat. "I need to talk to you, okay?"

Dick turns his head, squints at his alarm clock. "At three in the morning?"

"Dickie," Jason says. "Please?"

"Okay," Dick says. He sits up, struggling to untangle his legs from the sheets as he does. Jason tries not to look at Dick's bare chest, at the dark trail of hair that leads down to his boxers. Dick props some pillows behind him and smiles at him. "Okay, Jay. What's up?"

Jason swallows. He feels his hands start to shake like when grown ups ask too many questions. He looks down at the sheets, twists them into his hands until Dick puts his hand over one of his and says, "Jay."

"I think," Jason says. "I mean, not I think, I know - I." He looks up, and Dick's just waiting patiently, big blue eyes as calm and kind as the first day Jason showed up at the home ready to spit nails at anything and everything.

"Dickie, I - I like guys," Jason says. He waits, and Dick blinks, smiles and says, "Oh. Okay."

Jason snorts. "Okay? You're not - you're not mad?"

Dick looks at him like Jason just asked him a geometry question. "Why would I be mad?"

"Because I - it's, I mean -" Jason can't breathe, feels like he's going to start crying right _here_ , and he hasn't done that in -

"Jay," Dick says. He grabs Jason, pulls him into a hug that's tight and warm and smells like sugar and sweat. Dick rubs his back with one hand, holds the back of his head with the other. "Jay, you're my brother, okay? Nothing you tell me is gonna change that."

"Oh," Jason says. He takes a deep breath, and Dick laughs. "What?" Jason asks.

"Well, it's just," Dick says. "You're gonna get hot, you know? At least I won't have any competition."

"Ass," Jason says.

"Uh-huh," Dick says. "Love you, too, little brother."

Something tightens in Jason's chest, but he lets it go. "Thanks, Dickie."

"Of course," Dick says. "You wanna stay here tonight?"

"I -" Jason says. He should say no. "Yeah, okay."

Dick lets him go, moves the pillows and blankets around so Jason has room and then wraps his arms back around him. Jason stays awake until sunrise listening to the thump of Dick's heart.


End file.
